Friday, February 13, 2015

Finding flow.

A few months ago I got invited on a trip. Trip of a lifetime some would say: Down the Grand Canyon.

The fine details included a mid-January launch, being out 10 days in small boats, a total of 5 guys well-versed in the self-support ethos that a trip like this demands.

As departure drew closer and friends learned of the trip, a common question, worded appropriate to the experience and perspective of each asker, arose.

'Why rush through paradise?'

Regardless of verbiage, the question is valid from any perspective. If you're given an opportunity to do something that few can and fewer will, why not take your time and savor it?

The answer is different for everyone. My answers are simple, and are probably not the same as yours.

-Because I believe in miracles, and getting five first-world-dwellers to put down their devices and engage the world beneath their feet for ten days straight seems nothing less than that.

-Because the simplicity of a self-support trip seems ultimately satisfying relative to the alternatives I've seen.

-Because ten days is enough time to bring out the best and worst in your friends, and yourself, and to understand that you can't have one without the other.

-Because with a competent group and minimal gear, ten days actually gave us ample time to do all that we wanted to do. Leisurely breakfasts, at least one hike a day, several hours of floating, time to ask, and hear answers to, any question that came to mind. Then a leisurely dinner, campfire time, and sleep under the stars and waning moon.

-Because any day in Grand Canyon turns out to be a pretty good day.

-Because ten days beats nine, or none.

What we found was that ten days was the ideal amount of time for this group to flow through this place, unhurried, expectant, engaged.

I'm thankful to this group, and to Alpacka Raft, for continuing to foster my understanding of and immersion in a world I could scarcely imagine just 5 short years ago.